Immigration White Paper: Alexander Finch on some good news and what employers can do

14 May 2025

Many of the policies to restrict immigration and make the UK immigration journey to settlement and citizenship longer and more expensive announced in the UK government’s Immigration White Paper are subject to a programme of consultation, Alexander Finch writes in Free Movement (see link below). “This leaves much left to play for,” Vanessa Ganguin Immigration Law Senior Associate Alexander writes. “There will be engagement with sector bodies to produce workforce strategies for sectors which have seen [what the government sees as] high levels of overseas recruitment. There will be a consultation on the ‘opportunity to reduce the qualifying period’ for settlement (from 10 years to five) later in 2025 on a points basis.”

The main changes that employers need to be aware of in the Immigration White Paper are:

• ending sponsorship of new care workers from overseas;
• raising minimum skill level to sponsor Skilled Workers to RQF6 (degree level in skill rather than educational attainment);
• limited, temporary sponsorship for lower-skilled shortage jobs for key sectors with workforce strategies around training, pay and conditions via the new Temporary Shortage List;
• increasing the annual immigration skills charge by 32%;
• raising minimum level for English language ability from ‘intermediate user’ to ‘independent user’
• shortening the graduate visa to 18 months; and
• doubling the time it takes to qualify to settle permanently to ten years

From Publicans to Plasterers, Estate Agents to Interior Designers, Musicians to Managers of healthcare practices, we have counted 171 professions that will no longer qualify as skilled enough to come to the UK on the Skilled Worker visa according to this week’s Immigration White Paper. We have listed these here  so sectors can see how they will be affected by these changes.

Yet Alexander Finch finds reasons for employers to stay cheerful as well as things they can do to prepare.

• Employers should reassure current sponsored Skilled Workers. Those already here as Skilled Workers on RQF3-5 level skilled jobs will be able to renew their visa and switch into other jobs as Skilled Workers and take supplementary employment including in occupations below RQF6. This will continue even when sponsors may no longer sponsor Skilled Worker from abroad who are not in roles that are at RQF6 and above in skill level (equivalent to degree-level in skillset, not necessarily educational attainment).
• Employers will have to reevaluate hiring strategies and prepare for higher sponsorship costs and minimum salary thresholds for Skilled Workers. However, there are things they can do to prepare for and mitigate these changes. The Home Office is likely to anticipate a surge of applications for skilled worker jobs likely to be deemed too low-skilled.
• It would be prudent for sponsors to swiftly ensure a sufficient allocation of sponsorship certificates for lower skilled roles that will come of the Skilled Worker route – though the Home Office will want to see specific details of the planned sponsorships and would not want to see speculative allocation requests. In some cases, it may be appropriate to seek immigration advice on other work or personal immigration routes that prospective employees may use.
• With costs rising, it may pay to consider sponsoring international students as skilled workers, rather than hiring them on a graduate visa, as unlike graduate visa holders, students switching straight to Skilled Worker visas are exempt from the immigration skills charge for the duration of their sponsorship in the same role and for the same employer. This would save employers thousands of pounds.
• Alexander Finch also recommends that employers liaise with their sectoral bodies, lobby for occupations to be given a reprieve in the Temporary Shortage List and help put together the workforce strategies necessary to protect themselves and their sectors.

If you would like to discuss any of the upcoming immigration changes and how they may affect you, please contact us. You can use the form below, email one of our lawyers or call 0207 033 9527.